Welcome and bless you for adopting Ellie!

Yep, 3 legged dogs just walk different!  Mine was born with a deformed front leg and shoulder blade so her little 37lb body looked like Quasimodo!  She tucked one back leg under her body so it looked her hips were crooked and her front leg was centered.  I worried when she was a puppy that she was horribly deformed but found out, it's just the way she holds her body.  And when she ran, she looked like a rockin' horse!

She lived 12 1/2 years doing her Quasimodo hop! 

Just keep Ellie fit and trim and do what everyone recommended to strenthen her back leg.  And make sure she warms up her muscles before darting and running -so she doesn't risk a ACL tear in her knee.

Be sure to keep us updated on her!  She sounds like a love bug!

Comet's mom

Welcome to the family, don't you just love trying to put all these pieces together!!!!!!! Gus was a front amp, so I'm just going to throw out a couple things that come to mind. First, there was a girl here last year that was a rear amp, and her dog bunny hopped for the longest time, I'm pretty sure it eventually got to be sort of normal, but it was several months. Is there a way to make sure her spine is ok, although it can't be to bad if she runs when she plays. Some people have taken their dogs for acupuncture, maybe that might help. Good luck, sorry I don't have more to offer, Kudo's for adopting Ellie, you won't regret it, Paws up, Spirit Gus and Dan 

I adopted a rear leg tripod too.  He didn't dip at the back, probably because he lost his leg two years before I got him, but it did take a while to build up his stamina and strength for walking any distance, and he'll always find it easier to run than to walk. It's a little bit of a problem for us because my husband and I naturally walk slower than he wants to – he has such long legs! But we do our best! 

One thing I began doing recently is taking him to hydrotherapy.  He gets a lifejacket on, and gets to swim in a heated pool with a guy in there with him in a wetsuit to help him along when necessary, and make him rest from time to time.  I started taking him because, yes, they do walk oddly to compensate for the missing leg, and it does take its toll on the spine eventually.  Sid gets cramps.

The hydrotherapy really helps him to relax, and hopefully will also help to build up a little of the missing muscle mass on the side without a leg – the muscles along the spine on that side are weaker.  Since Ellie is so young, it would perhaps be worth it for her too, because it might help her muscles to develop a little more normally, which in turn might help to keep her spine stronger. 

My tripod certainly doesn't walk. He's sleeping, running, or bucking around like a wild bronco. Nothing in between. He also runs sideways. 

Dante is a front Amp, so it's a bit different. However, he was only 8 weeks old when he had his amputation and while being young was on his side, it also meant not only did he get to be a goofy, awkward pup learning to navigate his environment, he had to do it on three legs before he was stable doing it on 4 legs! It took months for him to build up endurance and stamina, and I feared he'd never ever gain endurance or strength...we just thought since he was so young and never really knew any different, it wouldn't be too hard on him.

He's 14 months old now and crazy. He runs and runs and jumps and plays. He's no slower than the girls, and prefers to run everywhere. He does get tired sooner than the girls and will lounge around more than they do, but when it's play time he has no trouble keeping up and the way he holds himself is definitely better than it was and doesn't seem to be an issue for him now.